Some words of advice from Jovon Johnson for the Ottawa Redblacks when it comes to making their first offensive play call in Sunday’s CFL East championship game against the Edmonton Eskimos: Do not throw a screen pass.

“They threw a lot more screen passes in Ottawa this year,” said Johnson, a former Redblacks all-star cornerback, who signed with the Montreal Alouettes as a free agent after two seasons here. “(The Redblacks) were throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage. We pretty well knew when we played them, the first play was going to be a screen to one of the receivers or a running back.

“I’m sure if I’m noticing that, then other teams’ defensive co-ordinators are noticing that. Most teams have their first 15 plays scripted and with (the Redblacks’) 15-play script, they weren’t changing it. Lately, at least, they’ve been going off the script a bit.”

Johnson sees the Redblacks and Eskimos as being similar in a lot of ways.

“The Eskimos run a similar offence to what Ottawa runs,” said Johnson. “(Ottawa offensive co-ordinator Jaime Elizondo) and (Eskimos coach and offensive co-ordinator Jason) Maas come from the same system. Edmonton uses its running back (John White) a lot more. They throw screens to him, they run routes with him, they give him the ball … he does it all. The game will start by going through him. Once they get Ottawa believing that’s what they want to do, they’ll throw the ball. That’s what they did to us. We blitzed them time and time again, we hit (quarterback) Mike Reilly a lot. The game was close in the first half. They changed the game plan in the second half, started doing stuff that got their receivers in 1-on-1s and made some plays.”

Oh yeah. Edmonton’s receivers … Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker, the top two pass catchers in the CFL. They’re a handful for any defence.

“You have to be able to figure out a way to stop Adarius and Derel,” said Johnson. “If you can contain those guys, you have a chance of winning.

“Maas does a great job of moving those guys around and putting them in position to get open. We saw that from him in Ottawa. He identified his matchups and used that to his advantage. Any time he gets that 1-on-1 with the guy he wants his receiver matched up against, that’s where they’re going with the ball.”

Edmonton’s running game is formidable. White was spectacular in the 24-21 East semifinal win over Hamilton, rushing for 160 yards with two touchdowns.

“Ottawa’s front seven has to do a tremendous job stopping the run,” said Johnson. “If White is running well, that opens up the playbook for the passing game. For a small back, he’s strong at the point of attack and he can make you miss in a phone booth. He has the tools to be a great running back.”

Then there’s Reilly, arguably the best quarterback in the league this season. He was forced to leave the game in Hamilton in the fourth quarter with a banged-up left wrist, but has been practising and looks like he’ll be ready to go Sunday.

“He’s a trooper,” said Johnson. “He’s the type of quarterback who puts it all on the line, he gives it all he has. But it helps when you have a couple of receivers who if you put it up there, they’ll catch it.”

Ottawa has an excellent quarterback of its own in Henry Burris.

“He’s played in big games, he’s been an MOP,” said Johnson. He’s seen it all, he’s seen all the defences you can throw it at him. Edmonton will blitz, they’ll want to force Henry to throw the ball quick. Henry’s been throwing the ball with velocity. If he starts off throwing the ball well, he’s going to have a good game.”

Another Eskimos receiver, Brandon Zylstra, has also emerged as a big threat, catching 34 passes for 508 yards in just six games.

“He’s an X factor,” said Johnson. “He came on late, nobody knows much about him, but the kid can play.”

Johnson saw the Eskimos twice with the Alouettes in 2016 — both times on the losing end, 23-12 and 40-20.

“I think Ottawa’s receiving corps may be even better than Edmonton’s, but the production Edmonton gets from its top two receivers probably cancels that out,” said Johnson. “If I was the defensive co-ordinator building the strategy, I wouldn’t leave my DBs out to dry in coverage of those guys all game long. I’d have my safety rolling to them, not all the time, but sometimes I’d give that illusion. At the same time, I’d blitz Mike Reilly as often as possible.

“We played man coverage pretty much the whole game. What hurt was the big plays by Reilly with his feet. He beat us getting out of the pocket, running and throwing.”

How does Johnson see this game, with a berth in the Grey Cup at stake, playing out?

“It’s going to be a close game,” he said. “It’s going to come down to how well Ottawa’s offence plays. Their offence ultimately could be their best defence. If they’re on the field a lot, getting first down after first down, keeping the chains moving, keeping the clock going and allowing the defence to rest, they’ll have a legitimate chance of winning the game. If their defence is on the field a lot more than the offence, it’s going to be a long day.

“I don’t think Edmonton’s defence is all that good. Their front seven is tremendous, but their back end is a work in progress. They have good players, but it’s going to take time for those guys to get to know each other. It’s the same thing with Ottawa’s defence, though. Their front seven has been solid all year, but the back end — guys have been switched in and out — it takes time. Ottawa has a lot of younger guys. We’ll see how they match up against Edmonton’s receivers.”

As for Johnson, an all-star in 2015, he’s ticked off that he wasn’t named to that team this season. The stats, he says, tell the story — six sacks and three interceptions. As a 33-year-old, he believes he will be in the CFL, somewhere, next season.

“If I’m not in Montreal, I will go somewhere else,” he said. “Once again, I’ll prove anybody who doubts me wrong. I should have had 10 sacks and five interceptions this year. For whatever reasons, a lot of general managers see my name and act like they’ve never seen it before.”

Redblacks’ Hopkins hopes to celebrate 30th birthday with win in East final

For that to happen, the Ottawa Redblacks will have to beat the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL East championship game at TD Place.

It’s Hopkins’ birthday on Sunday and even though he’s been a bit banged up, with “lower-body” issues, he won’t be sitting out this game with so much at stake.

“It’s my birthday, no way I’m going to miss the game,” said Hopkins. “This is the game we’ve wanted to play in all season. This is the position we wanted to be in. Most of the guys have been in big games before so we’re prepared for the moment.”

The defensive tackle is a steadying force for the Redblacks.

“He’s a team leader for us,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell. “He’s a good player, but also there’s a comfort level and a leadership level for him with the guys. We’re always glad when he’s on the field.”

Hopkins says on Saturday he’ll get ready for the big game with his usual day-before routine.

“We go to The Keg, get a steak, usually with bone in, and the California salad,” said Hopkins.

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